Chapter 7 - The Second Killer
Santiago felt a cold chill run down his spine that had nothing to do with the winter air.
"What does she mean?" Santiago asked, his voice tight.
Ruby watched Sophia's hands move in the dim light of dawn.
"She says there was a woman there too," Ruby translated quietly.
"A woman with a silver ring shaped like a snake."
Santiago felt his heart skip a beat.
He knew exactly who owned a silver ring shaped like a snake.
It belonged to his aunt, Camilla.
Camilla had stepped in to help raise him and Sophia after their parents died.
She controlled the family's legitimate finances and sat on the syndicate board.
The realization hit him like a freight train.
Tomas was just the muscle; Aunt Camilla was the mastermind who had orchestrated the coup.
"She has been poisoning us from the inside for seven years," Santiago whispered in sheer disbelief.
"We need to get to the city," Ruby said, shivering in her torn clothes.
"If we don't expose her, she will never stop hunting us."
Santiago led them through the dense woods until they reached a rural highway.
He flagged down an old pickup truck driven by an elderly farmer.
A thick stack of emergency cash convinced the man to give them his vehicle without asking any questions.
Santiago drove them back toward Chicago, his mind racing with a dangerous plan.
He knew Aunt Camilla was hosting the annual syndicate charity gala tonight at the Grand Hotel.
It was the perfect place to expose her in front of all the allied families.
They parked the stolen truck in an underground garage near the hotel.
Santiago used a burner phone to call in a massive favor from an old associate who owed him his life.
Within an hour, a discreet black van arrived carrying clean clothes, tactical gear, and forged VIP passes.
Ruby dressed in a stunning, albeit simple, black evening gown that hid the bandages on her ribs.
Sophia was dressed in a dark green dress, her favorite color, which brought a small smile to her face.
Santiago wore a tailored tuxedo that concealed his shoulder holster perfectly.
"We walk in, we find the microphone, and we let Sophia tell the entire room the truth," Santiago outlined.
"Are you ready for this?" he asked Ruby.
Ruby reached out and intertwined her fingers with his.
"I am ready to end this," she said bravely.
They walked into the glittering, crowded ballroom of the Grand Hotel.
Aunt Camilla was standing on the main stage, preparing to give her opening speech.
May you like
She looked down and made direct eye contact with Santiago.
Instead of looking terrified, Aunt Camilla smiled a cruel, victorious smile.
